Over the past several years, the Midwest Haunters
Convention has grown to become one of the biggest and most popular
events in the Haunted Attraction Industry, and for good reason. This
show has a lot to offer, including a wide variety of workshops and
seminars, a large trade show floor, product demos, contests and of
course, the masquerade party. I also can't forget to mention the
pre-show haunted attraction tour. This two day haunt tour, which filled
four charter buses, included hotel accommodations, meals and access to
20 haunts in 10 different haunted attractions throughout
Central/Northeast Indiana and Western Ohio. There was also a free haunt
tour of Terrorfest, a local haunted attraction in Columbus, on Friday
night. It was reported that there was a 50% increase in pre-show
registration compared to last years' figures, which is no surprise to
me, considering all that MHC has to offer.

More than 75 vendors came to the convention with practically everything
you would ever need to run a haunted attraction, including props,
lighting, music, make-up, special effects, and various haunt services
like online ticketing, promotional services and event insurance. While
walking up and down the aisles of the show floor, there were many things
that caught my eye, including the following items & vendors who deserve
special mention:

-
Raven's
Wolf had one of the most visually appealing booths at the
show. One half of the booth was themed with boulders and stone
arches, while the other half was decorated in an industrial
style. The walls were dirty, distressed and adorned with rusty
pipes. Featured in their booth were custom T-shirts, amazing
wall art, distressed costumes and more. What a great way to
showcase their impressive design services for the haunted
attraction industry!

- Another company that did a great job of creating an elaborate,
eye-catching display was
Screamline Studios. The majority of their booth space was
filled by a realistic-looking old tool shed, with weathered wood
and a corrugated metal roof. Hanging from the walls were several
"weapons" from their ever-expanding line of "Meat Mangler"
tools. Additional themeing was provided by accent lighting,
cobwebs, and a wooden workbench inside the shed. Great job,
guys! It was like something you would see inside of a haunted
house.

- Pumpkin
Pulp Productions' booth really stood out, because of their
eight foot tall Zombie Rocking Horse. It definitely attracted a
lot of attention at the show. What is even cooler is that fact
that the horse wasn't just a static prop, it was a sturdy,
working display piece. PPP staff was even letting show attendees
climb up on the horse and rock back & forth on it.

- At the
Sinister Scents booth, there were many interesting products
made by
Dark Hand Designs. The booth featured creepy hand-made
ornaments, jewelry boxes, sketch books, costumes and home
decor. My personal favorites were the tree ornaments and jewelry
boxes with teeth. These items would be perfect for anyone with
an appreciation for dark art or the macabre.

It was another great year at the Midwest Haunters Convention! MHC
continues to raise the bar, making the show better and better each year,
which is why it continues to be my favorite Haunt Industry Event.
Special thanks to show organizers Barry Schieferstein, Kathy
Schieferstein, Kelly Collins & Neena Collins for putting together such a
phenomenal convention.

Throughout the next several pages, there are more than 370 pictures. I
hope you enjoy this online review!